Aguateca's Canyon

Aguateca's Canyon

GUAT07D-212

June 5, 2007

Continuing on in Guatemala, I figured to double-down to end the week and present this image of the canyon along Aguateca.  This ancient Mayan city used this fissure in the ground as a natural defense point; there were only a couple of places where one could cross, and so it kept the city relatively well-defended from invaders.  By now, however, about twelve centuries after the city was abandoned, the jungle is back in full control, tearing down the bricks that were put up, covering the whole place in a verdant moss.  You can see, in the middle of the picture, the light brown strip is actually the road leading down and out of the canyon on the far side.  Quite an experience to walk among these ruins.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 18-135 f/3.5-5.6

Focal length:  18 mm

Exposure: 4.5 sec @ f/16 ISO 200

Post-processing: Tone adjusted with PS 4 and LR 1.4

Tropical Fungi Bloom

Tropical Fungi Bloom

GUAT07D-208

June 5, 2007

Back to fungi again today, because they are just such amazing things, and yet so beautiful.  After showing off some fungi growing in my own neighborhood this week, today's image comes from Guatemala, deep in the ruins of a Mayan city, Aguateca.  This lichen-draped ruined city is deep in the jungle of Central America, and is quite isolated, requiring an hour boat ride to get there.  But the ruins represent a great example of how the jungle, and how nature in general, can reclaim the works of man.  This log, covered in moss and lichen, actually has two species growing on it, these beautiful basidiomycetes on their stalks, and the tiny white wood decayers in the background to the left.  Both thriving in the humidity and heat of the jungle, and doing their part to break down the wood and return nutrients to the soil.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 18-135 f/3.5-5.6

Focal length:  135 mm

Exposure: 3 sec @ f/16 ISO 200

Post-processing: Tone adjusted with PS 4 and LR 1.4

The Foggy Church

The Foggy Church

GUAT07D-135

May 31, 2007

It was a foggy day this morning, after a torrential storm whipped through the town.  During the morning run, the fog lay thick in the little creek that I run along, and it reminded me winding through the  higher mountains of Guatemala's Cuchumatanes Range.  This highland area in the northern stretches of the country doesn't see as many visitors as the popular East coast, and I was the only foreigner on the bus as we headed up to the town of Zunil.  Due to the weather, the market was shutting down early, but I was able to wander through the town, and came across this church.  They had just opened the doors, and the fog was flowing in past the pews, like something out of a horror movie, with a true eerie feeling.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 18-135 f/3.5-5.6

Focal length:  48 mm

Exposure: 1/13 @ f/8 ISO 400

Post-processing: Tone adjusted with PS 4 and LR 1.4

The Watchman from Afar

The Watchman from Afar

ZION030009

August 15, 2003

Whereas yesterday's image was among the most recent in my collection, having been taken over the previous weekend, this one is reaching back far into the archives.  Camping in the southern reaches of Zion National Park in 2003, the summer sunsets were amazing at highlighting the redrock formations of the south.  This was taken on slide film, then scanned, so the grain is apparent despite the use of ICE converters.  I think it has a nice appeal to the photo though, the grain adds an additional dimension.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon N80
Film: Kodak Ektachrome 200

Lens: Nikon 28-105 f/3.5-5.6

Focal length:  105 mm

Exposure: n/a  ISO 200

Post-processing: Scanned on a Nikon Coolscan 5000 with Digital ICE 4.0, tone adjusted and using and PS 4 and LR1.4

Lepiota Edge

Lepiota Edge

NCAR11D219

September 24, 2011

One of the most recent photos I've had the chance to take, and it's quite a subject.  Ah, fall showers, with warm temperatures, has brought a bounty of fungi to the surface this week.  My neighborhood is practically blossoming with these crazy decomposers, so essential to the ecosystem, and in such a variety of colors.  Here we have a cluster of fungi that is (tentatively) identified as a Lepiota spp.  I haven't gotten farther than that.  But it is this beautiful orange color, delicate as well; additional rainshowers have dampened their edges and even crushed some of them.  But they are still incredible organisms, and it is nice to see them lounging around my yard and neighborhood. Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 105 f/2.8 micro

Focal length:  105 mm

Exposure: 1/200 @ f/4.0 ISO 400

Post-processing: Tone adjusted and using and PS 4 and LR1.54

Thai Nimbostratus

Thai Nimbostratus

THAI040401

June 17, 2004

Today has dawned another gray day, with more rain in the forecast for the weekend.  I don't usually mind the rain, it has a soothing effect, and it really makes me want to go hiking in the rain.  Call me crazy, but there's something about stomping through the wilderness while the rain drips from the trees.  I recall a couple of particularly memorable times I've hiked in the rain... one was at Charmlee Regional Park in Los Angeles, with my mom and sister.  It was pouring and we still muscled through the chaparral and had a splash doing it.  The other was a New Year's Day hike in Muir Woods National Monument.  The rain kept the crowds away (as did the likelihood of hangovers from the night before), and the whole lush forest was quiet except the sound of the rain gently dripping through the leaves.

This image comes from the first trip to Thailand, many years ago when I was shooting film.  Taken on Fuji Velvia, this storm was rolling through as we sped back near Doi Inthanon National Park, and the clouds which had plagued us for days were finally starting to shift and break up.  It left behind a vibrant, stunning visual of the verdant countryside after 3 days of rain.  One of the more beautifully scenic rides I encountered in Thailand.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon N80
Film: Fuji Velvia 50

Lens: Nikon 28-105 f/3.5-4.5

Focal length:  50 mm

Exposure: n/a ISO 50

Post-processing: Scanned on a Nikon Coolscan 5000, tone adjusted and cleaned using ICE 4.0 and PS 4.

Silhouette of Golden Fall

Silhouette of Golden Fall

ILLN08D-364

November 4, 2008

I am becoming very impatient for fall.  Today actually dawned gray, cloudy, rainy, and a bit foggy, which made a nice walk to work, and reminded me of fall and winter in the bay area.  However, one of the great things about living in NC is the opportunity to see some actual color changes when fall finally does rear its head.  And so I've been patiently waiting, counting down the days and checking trees whenever I go running.  But in my thirst for golden-hued leaves, I went digging for this image from when autumn was in full swing in Illinois, the trees illuminated at night from the lamppost.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 50 f/1.4

Focal length:  50 mm

Exposure: 3 sec @ f/4.5, ISO 100

Post-processing: Minor contrast and tone adjustment, sharpening in PS4 & LR1.4

Flowers of Remembrance

Flowers of Remembrance

NOLA09D-118

April 21, 2009

A quite different panoramic composition today, found while wandering through the surreal and altogether serene graveyards of New Orleans.  These amazing vaults, built above ground to protect against floods and hurricanes, have withstood, in some cases, over a century of being in the hot, muggy south.  Lichen creeping up their facades, old stone tablets describing the inhabitants, and always flowers in front.  While a lot of folks in the south enjoy fake flowers on graves, these were actually real roses, left beside this solitary marker.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 50 f/1.4

Focal length:  50 mm

Exposure: 1/400 @ f/4.5, ISO 100

Post-processing: Minor contrast and tone adjustment, sharpening in PS4 & LR1.4

Ruminahui Through the Clouds

Ruminahui Through the Clouds

ECUA08D-513

January 27, 2008

While most people travel to Cotopaxi National Park, in Ecuador, to visit the refuge or climb up the eponymous mountain, there are plenty of other reasons to visit this high altitude park. The páramo, or alpine valleys above the tree line, offer a wide diversity of plant life, and from far away it looks like the whole place is covered in a soft velvet. Ruminahui, a dormant volcano found at the edge of the park, is not as visited as the park's namesake, but it is a beautiful climb to the peak, with views over the paramo and the alpine fields. It rises about 4700m above sea level, and is about a 5-6 hour hike from the edge of Laguna de Limpiopuguna.

The mountain's name comes from the early colonial days. Ruminahui was a Quichua native, who lead numerous uprisings against the foreign invaders of his country. He was immensely popular with the people, but not so with the Spanish conquistadors (as can be imagined). Eventually he was captured, as all good folk heroes are, and executed. But this mountain was named in his honor, to remember his struggle for his people against the colonists.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 18-135 f/3.5-5.6

Focal length:  85 mm

Exposure: 1/50 @ f/16, ISO 200

Post-processing: Minor contrast and tone adjustment, sharpening in PS4 & LR1.4

Wine Salmonberry

Wine Salmonberry

ALAK09D-175

August 30, 2009

Sitting on the bush, ripe for the picking, this salmonberry is much darker than usual colorations, the wine-red color looking very appetizing.  Found all through Alaska, and parts of Canada, these berries are wonderful.  A little less sweet than cultivated berries we're used to, they make wonderful preserves and pies.  But perhaps they're best eaten raw, right off the bush.  Found near Seldovia, Alaska, in the height of summer.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 105 f/2.8 micro

Focal length:  105 mm

Exposure: 1/60 @ f/8, ISO 400

Post-processing: Minor contrast and tone adjustment, sharpening in PS4 & LR1.4

Watching the Watchful Monkey

Watching the Watchful Monkey

BHUT10D-346

November 20, 2010

The Capped Langur (Trachypithecus pileatus) is commonly found throughout southern and eastern Asia, mostly in tropical and subtropical dry forests.  We were on our way back through the central portion of the country, along the passes of the Pobjikha valley in Bhutan, when we came across a troupe of these langurs hanging out by the side of the road.  While most scattered a safe distance from our car, this guy was sitting in the tree, fur dusted with lichens and other debris, seemingly unconcerned by these large primates watching him.  He just stared us down. If the image looks a big fuzzy, it is because he is.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 80-200 f/2.8

Focal length:  200 mm

Exposure: 1/125 @ f/2.8, ISO 100

Post-processing: Minor contrast and tone adjustment, sharpening in PS4 & LR1.4

Dochula Pass

Dochula Pass

BHUT10D-182_HDR

November 19, 2010

In 2003, Bhutan was pushed towards war. Indian rebels were hiding in Bhutan, and the Indian government had given Butan an ultimatum of either driving the rebels out or the Indian Army would be forced to cross the border and do it themselves. Bhutan's traditions of pacifism and peace wanted to avoid a conflict, with an army of only 7,000 enlisted men, facing possibly tens of thousands of rebels, and so the proposed action was unpopular. So, the king made the mission voluntary for the soldiers, and personally took charge and led the campaign against the rebels. The mini-war was a success, and the rebels were routed with minimal losses to the Bhutan army. Some wanted to erect a monument for the victory, but the King responded that war is never a thing to be glorified, even if one is victorious. So instead he commissioned this monument honoring the dead soldiers and the dead rebels from the conflict.

The 108 stupas sit along the main road leading from Thimphu to the east, at Dochula Pass (an altitude of about 3100 m). These solemn constructions are colorful and decorative, and the forest adjoining the monument is festooned with prayer flags, swaying in the breezes. It is impossible to miss if you're driving east from Thimphu, and marks a beautiful area with a serious and touching reminder of war.  Image-wise, it is not my favorite ever; the HDR construction created a background that looks a little "off."  I believe this is probably due to the fog that was blowing through the region, and thus they might not have been able to line-up completely in sync when I was merging them.  But the colors pop, and the level of detail in the monuments is certainly enhanced by the HDR, which also gives some color to the prayer flags in the background.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6

Focal length:  22 mm

Exposure: var @ f/11, ISO 400

Post-processing: HDR photomerge of 5 images (+/- 1&2 EV) in Photomatix, slight contrast and tone adjustment, sharpening in PS4 & LR1.4

Misty Mountain Hop

Misty Mountain Hop

BHUT10D-194

November 19, 2010

This is turning into Bhutan week, so I think I'll continue the trend of images from last November's trip out to the rugged countryside of this Asian nation.  Inevitably, to get anywhere in Bhutan, you have to traverse the mountains.  The country lies on the eastern side of the Himalaya range, and while it might not have the highest peaks in the world, you still climb up and down some steep places on small roads.  Here we were moving past Dorchula Pass, just north of the 10,000' mark, and the wind picked up, blowing this incredible fog from the lower elevations.  It gave the entire scene a haunted atmosphere, which actually worked perfectly with the memorial that was at the pass.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6

Focal length:  40 mm

Exposure: 1/40 @ f/11, ISO 400

Post-processing: Slight contrast and tone adjustment, sharpening in PS4 & LR1.4

Morning Storm Clearing the Pobjikha Valley

Morning Storm Clearing the Pobjikha Valley

BHUT10D-300

November 20, 2010

Today we visit Bhutan again, because this country is full of fine landscapes that any photographer would be pleased as punch to engage with.  I wish I had had more time to spend there, to really explore the wildlands of the area, but that will have to remain for another time I guess.  The Pobjikha Valley is famous as the location of the black-crane migration from Tibet; they roost in this valley all winter, sometimes hundreds strong.  Despite coming in late November, there were only a dozen or so cranes already present in the valley; I guess the memo hadn't gone out to the rest of the flock yet.  However, not to worry; the valley itself was gorgeous, with small farms nestled against the higher hills and mountains that ring the ground.  Autumn was turning everything golden, and our day there saw a storm cloud moving across over the mountain as the sun rose higher in the sky.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6

Focal length:  105 mm

Exposure: n/a @ f/5.6, ISO 200

Post-processing: Slight contrast and tone adjustment, sharpening in PS4 & LR1.4

The Limits of Post-Processing

One of the debates that rages, at least in certain circles, is what constitutes a great (or even an above-average) photographer, given the technology that predominates in our society.  There are so many ways of doctoring, re-touching, and enhancing your images post-shooting that were not available to photographers of former years.  Some of these techniques are able to faithfully represent the image before the photographer's eye and convey that to the viewer, and those, in my humble opinion, are the procedures worth keeping and using.  Something like high dynamic range (HDR) composites.  They have the potential to produce additional detail and help create a scene more like our eyes would see it (unless you go for the bad-acid-trip-HDR sort of images), and I have no doubt that Ansel or Galen, were they alive today, would be lining up to put HDR to use to create even more eye-dropping, envy-inspiring photographs.

However, there are a number of techniques that are no more than gimmicks, and this recent post on gizmodo (thanks to Deva at Perhaps Picture Perfect for the link) highlights those very well.  The black-and-white-with-a-spot-of-color, the fades in the corners, the bad cropping and collage-ing/merging, all are on display to show what you should not do.  Prepare to grimmace, and maybe even run away in horror.  One of my favorites?

 I almost cringe to post this shot on this blog, but it is too hilarious to let go unmentioned.  The color spotting on the dress, makes it look like she wet herself red, or was shot in the belly.  It adds absolutely nothing, in fact only detracting from the otherwise pleasant (though bland) black and white portrait.

The parent site that prompted the gizmodo post is entitled You Are Not a Photographer, and is a pretty funny site with snarky comments.  I think the title "fauxtog" should be more widely circulated.  Wow.

Lichen Drapery

Lichen Drapery

BHUT10D-216

January 23, 2010

Today is the first image from probably my most recent (and one of the most remote), images from the Kingdom of Bhutan.  I had an unparalleled privilege to work for a week in the country, followed up by 3 days roaming around the central portions.  While it wasn't enough time to take one of the legendary treks into the backcountry, we still got a chacne to experience the raw, untrammeled beauty of the country.  This image was found at the Royal Botanical Garden in Bhutan, which has a very diverse climate, mostly residing in the mid-altitude cloud forest, a perpetually moist atmosphere which is ideal for large trees and huge sheets of lichen.  Everywhere you turned in this park, the vegetation was covered in green frill, giving it an otherworldly (or even Middle Earth-y) appearance to the forest. 

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6

Focal length:  105 mm

Exposure: n/a @ f/5.6, ISO 200

Post-processing: Slight contrast and tone adjustment, sharpening in PS4 & LR1.4

Yates' Mill HDR

Yates' Mill HDR

NCAR10D-4_HDR

January 23, 2010

Moving to North Carolina was a new adventure.  I had left Illinois behind, and with it the flatlands and fields.  There was a lot to like about IL, but nature and wilderness were not among them.  Suddenly, I was among trees again, real forests and topography.  It was great.  And a large city like Raleigh had a fair share of parks and greenery for such an urban area.  This shot was taken within the first couple weeks of living in the city, at Yates Mill Historic County Park.  Just a few minutes south of downtown, this old mill has a large spillway, and the angle and the contrast made me interested in trying an HDR shot.  This was really my first HDR shot ever attempted.  It is not perfect, and I realize that, but it was a first stab at this new form of media.  And the rest is history.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Sigma 10-20 f/4-5.6

Focal length:  11.5 mm

Exposure: variable @ f/25, ISO 200

Post-processing: Merge of 5 images (+/- 2EV) in Photomatix.  Tone and shadow adjustment, sharpening in PS4 & LR1.4

Fall in the Midwest

Fall in the Midwest

INDN09D-30

October 25, 2009

This week, fall has started to make its presence felt.  The nights have turned a bit crisp, meaning that the blankets will soon come out of the closet, and the fans and air conditioning will be retired for the season.  Fall, however, hasn't made itself seen yet; the colors that everyone eagerly waits for have not turned yet, the woods around my house are still in full summer mode.  However, with the change in the weather, it cannot be long off, and soon the hills and forests will burst in color.  I missed last year's major changes; when the fall colors reached the central-eastern portion of North Carolina, I was away on business, and it seems to have lasted just a brief time.  When I returned the leaves had mostly shed, and winter was marching firmly into town. 


So, today's image comes from the fall before, when I and some other intrepid photographers took to the wilds of Indiana's Turkey Run State Park.  We were lucky to arrive in the full bloom of fall, and the subtle shifts in hues from red to orange, with some evergreen peeking around, contrasted nicely with the overcast day and rock formations along the river.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Sigma 10-20 f/4-5.6

Focal length:  20 mm

Exposure: 1/60 sec @ f/11, ISO 200

Post-processing: Cropping, saturation, curves adjustment in PS4 & LR1.4

Overlooking the Missouri

Overlooking the Missouri

THRO09D-90

July 11, 2009

Today's image comes from North Dakota, in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, despite the name of the post.  Surprisingly enough, the Missouri River has its origins in the western part of North Dakota, flowing north until it makes a hairpin turn and then flows south, assuming its normal course and look.  But here, in the badlands of North Dakota, the river flows amongst the sharp white cliffs that plateau out at the horizon, past scrubland, mule deer, and yucca as it slowly carves out the landscape, deepening the canyons.  While this image was originally in color, it didn't have the right feel to it, and the stronger contrast between the whitish cliffs and the dark land beyond was more conducive to a monochrome.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Sigma 10-20 f/4-5.6

Focal length:  10 mm

Exposure: 1 sec @ f/16, ISO 100

Post-processing: Desaturation, curves adjustment in PS4 & LR1.4

Ruined Brothel

Ruined Brothel

DEVA07D-55

March 30, 2007

So I got caught up in the spirit of the long weekend (aka doing as little as possible besides lab work), and completely missed the Monday posting.  My apologies.  Today's post comes to us from Death Valley National Park, or rather just outside in the town of Rhyolite.  This ghost town was, like many cities in the West, fueled by mining that didn't last.  Although it once had a population approaching 10,000, today it has a whopping populace of zero.  It is interesting to wander through the town and see the ruined buildings, and ghost towns always make for interesting photography.  This is a shot through the window of a ruined brothel.  Some of the color is still on the walls (surprising, a brothel that is painted red), and as you can see, some of the previous visitors have not been so kind to the walls.  Still, the rich light and contrast made it an interesting scene.  I liked this image, the angle looking through the doorway and window, with the side lighting.  And it did win the Champaign County Camera Club's spring 2009 contest Windows.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 18-35 f/3.5-4.5

Focal length:  18 mm

Exposure: 1/25 sec @ f/10, ISO 100

Post-processing: Saturation, curves adjustment in PS4 & LR1.4

Peacocks Fighting

Peacocks Fighting

SFRA07D-38

April 8, 2007

This scene was grabbed at the San Francisco Zoo.  Peacocks are usually seen as such docile creatures, strutting around with their iridescent necks and big plummage.  They kind of just walk around, without much fuss.  But these two males clearly had it in for each other.  They stalked round and round in a circle, and then all of a sudden they ranged up and clashed, squawking and flapping at each other.  It was quite a unique scene, their long tails draping to the ground as the leaped at one another.  They clearly have some good hops too, they're probably 4 feet off of the ground below.  But I was lucky to be there at the right moment, and it has since become my most viewed image when I posted it on Flickr ages ago (despite it not being my best image ever created).  I guess people just love a good cock fight.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 80-200 f/2.8

Focal length:  200 mm

Exposure: 1/2000 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 200

Post-processing: Minor curves adjustment in PS4 & LR1.4

Lembert Dome Sunset

Lembert Dome Sunset

YOSE07D-57

July 14, 2007

This scene is from the less-visited yet stunning Tuolumne valley in the northern reaches of Yosemite National Park.  Lembert dome is a granite mound that juts up above the surrounding pine forests, and has a perfect westward facing slope.  This day we were lucky to catch it just as the sun dropped down, highlighting the storm that had been threatening to gather, and turning the whole scene a vibrant warm tone.  

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 18-55 f/3.5-5.6

Focal length:  26 mm

Exposure: 1/6 sec @ f/8, ISO 800

Post-processing: Minor curves adjustment in PS4 & LR1.4